Full view non-scuff golf club putter



Nov. 20, 1962 R. A. SMITH FULL VIEW NON-SCUFF GOLF CLUB PUTTER Filed Oct. 9, 1961 INVENTOR. RAYMOND A. SMITH it/ W 9 ATTORNEYS Ilnited States 3,064,975 FULL WW N ON-SCUF F GOLF CLUB PUTTER Raymond A. Smith, 24!? Wilshire Ave., Daly City, Calif. Filed Oct. 9, 1961, Ser. No. 143,754 2 Claims. (Cl. 273-80) The present invention relates to improvements in a full view non-scuff golf club putter and it consists in the combination, constructions and arrangements heremafter described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a full view non-scuff golf club putter in which a flat ball-striking blade is supported by a non-scuff shoe and the latter holds the blade in an elevated position so that the bottom of the blade is spaced above the bottom of the shoe. This will space the blade bottom above the playing surface on which the golf ball rests when the shoe bottom contacts with the playing surface. The non-scuff shoe is arcuate in shape with the ends of the shoe being permanently secured to the rear face of the blade. The greater portion of the arcuate shoe is spaced from the rear face of the blade so as to provide an opening between this portion and the blade. An integral upstanding socket rises from the arcuate portion that is spaced rearwardly from the blade and a shaft extends upwardly from the socket and is provided with a handle. The socket, shaft and handle will not interfere with the golfer seeing the ball and blade when the golfer grips the handle and moves the front face of the blade so as to address the ball.

Several advantages result from this particular arrangement of parts. A right-handed player when using the usual putter finds that in about 75% of his missed putting shots the golf ball rolls to the left of the cup while in the remaining 25% of the missed putts, the ball rolls to the right of the cup. This is because the putter shaft and handle extend directly above the putter head and in some clubs the shaft and handle extend in front of the blade and the ball is struck during the portion of the swing that the club is moving in a counterclockwise direction with the players body constituting the center of the swing. With my improved club, the blade strikes the ball before the players hands move to a point for causing the blade to give the ball a movement to the left, The blade will therefore send the ball directly to- Ward the cup.

Another advantage is that the elevated blade when striking the ball will give an overspin to the ball. Such a spin causes the ball to move in a straight line and when the cup is reached, the overspin causes the ball to drop into the cup. When the putter is used to roll the ball out of a sand trap, the elevated blade will strike the ball cleanly because no sand will be between the blade and ball and any sand picked up by the shoe, because it is lower than the ball-striking blade, will flow out through the opening formed between the shoe and the rear surface of the blade. The overspin delivered to the ball by the blade is exceptionally good for rolling the ball out of the sandbunker.

Still another advantage lies in the shaping of a portion of the upper surface of the arcuate shoe to receive and support a golf ball that the player wishes to pick up from the ground. The club can be swung to bring this portion under the ball and a continued swinging of the club will lift the ball to a point where the player can remove it by hand. If the ball drops into water, the club can be lowered by the player until the cradle in the arcuate shoe receives the ball whereupon the player can lift the club and with it the golf ball.

Other objects and advantages will appear as the specification continues and the novel features of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

3,0h4,975 Patented Nov. 20, 1962 ice Drawing For a better understanding of the invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this application in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates the entire golf putter with the ball-striking blade being shown in end view;

FIGURE 2 is a rear elevation of the non-scuff shoe and blade shown on a larger scale;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section taken along the line 33 of FIGURE 2 and shows a top plan view of the non-scuff shoe and blade;

FIGURE 4 is a transverse section taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2 and shows the opening provided between a portion of the non-scuff shoe and the rear face of the blade; and

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4, but shows the non-scuff shoe and blade inclined and lifting a golf ball that is supported by the shoe and blade.

While I have shown only the preferred form of my invention, it should be understood that various changes or modifications, may be made within the scope of the annexed claims without departing from the spirit thereof.

Detailed Description In carrying out my invention, I provide a flat ballstriking blade A, of the shape shown in FIGURE 2, and having a thickness like that shown in FIGURE 3. The blade has a flat front face 1 which is used for striking a golf ball B, see FIGURES 1, 3 and 4, and a rear fiat face 2 that parallels the front face. A non-sculf shoe C, illustrated in all of the figures, is arcuate in shape and has its ends 3 and 4 permanently secured to the rear face 2 of the blade A. FIGURES 1, 2 and 4 show the shoe ends 3 and 4 extending upwardly from the bottom 5 of the shoe and the arrangement is such that when the shoe bottom 5 contacts with the playing surface D the bottom edge 6 of the blade A, will be spaced three sixteenths of an inch above the same surface, see FIGURES l, 2 and 4. I do not wish to be confined to this exact measure ment, but I have found that this produces excellent results when using the golf club for hitting the golf ball B. In actual practice the shoe C may be cast integrally with the blade A.

FIGURE 3 shows the arcuate-shaped shoe C, providing an opening 7 between it and the rear face 2. of the blade A. This opening has important advantages which Will be set forth hereinafter. The arcuate portion of the shoe C carries an integral and upstanding socket E. The socket is spaced in back of the rear face 2 of the blade E as shown in FIGURES 1, 3, 4 and 5. The socket may be placed at a desired position between the ends of the arcuate shoe C and extend upwardly at the desired angle according to the wishes of the golfer who will use the golf club. A shaft F extends upwardly from the socket E and the axis of the shaft coincides with the axis of the socket. A handle G is provided at the top of the shaft and the axis of the handle coincides with the axis of the shaft. The important point is that the socket E, shaft F, and handle G, are all disposed rearwardly of the rear face 2 of the blade A. The reason for this will be explained shortly.

Again referring to FIGURES 2, and 5, it will be noted that a portion 8 of the upper surface of the arcuate shoe C, is inclined downwardly at an angle so as to receive and support the golf ball B, when the player moves this portion under the ball to lift it above the surface on which it is resting. The ball may have rolled into a ditch. The inclined surface 8 will cause the ball B, that rests thereon, to roll into contact with the rear face 2 of the blade A. The player when retrieving the ball B from the supporting surface, swings the handle G in the direction of the arrow 9 in FIGURE 5, to pick up the ball and then continues swinging the handle in the same direction to lift the ball and permit the player to remove it with his hand.

In FIGURE 5, the center of the golf ball B is shown at 10, and a straight dot-dash line 11, is drawn from the center and it extends to the shoe C. This line parallels the rear face 2 of the blade A. The line 11 will strike the inclined surface 8 at a place between the point 12, where the golf ball contacts with the surface 8, and the point 13 where the ball contacts with the rear surface 2 of the blade A. Therefore the inclined surface 8 will contact with the ball B, at 12, which is at one side of the ball. center 10, and the rear surface 2 of the blade A will contact with the ball B, at 13, which is on the other side of the ball center 10. This will cause the ball to remain supported by the shoe C and blade A, as the club is swung in the direction of the arcuate arrow 9 in FIGURE 5.

Operation The non-scuff shoe C holds the blade A so that its lower edge 6 is spaced above the playing surface D, when the ball B rests on this surface. The socket E is preferably' spaced about one inch in back of the blade A. This spaces the shaft F and handle G behind the blade with the result that the golfer has a full view of the blade and ball at address.

I have already explained another advantage of positioning the blade in front of the club handle and socket and that is the blade will strike the ball before the shaftv F in. its swing reaches a point where the shaft will start to move to the left for a right-handed golfer. If such a movement to the left were permitted, the blade A would strike the ball B and tend to move it in a direction where it would roll to the left of the cup. The blade in being positioned in front of the club-handle and shaft, strikes the ball before the hands of the golfer in their swing get to a, point Where they will move the blade to the left. The blade will therefore send the ball in a direct line to the cup.

The elevated blade A imparts an overspin to the ball When it strikes the ball. This. causes the ball to travel straighter and to drop into the cup when reaching it. In a sand bunker, the blade will strike the golf ball clean because the elevated blade moves above the surface of the sand. Any sand struck by the non-scuff shoe will flow out through the opening 7 and not come between the ball and the blade. The overspin delivered to the ball by the elevated blade is exceptionally good for rolling the ball out of the sand. bunker. When the club is used on the putting green or. on the apron surrounding the green, any loose matter picked up by the shoe Cpduring the striking of the ball. will quickly fall through the opening 7. In fact the particular design of shoe C and elevated blade A makes the, golf-club especially effective in rolling the golf ball from the taller grass of the apron onto the closer cut grass of the putting green. Thev golfer can do this with my golf club rather than make a chip or pitch shot withanother club.

I have already described the pick up feature of the club where the shoe C cooperates With the rear of the blade A to permit the golfer to swing the shoe under the golf ball to lift it from a ditch or from any other surface. The shoe and. blade form a natural cradle in which the golf ball will lie as the golfer continues to swing the handle in the same direction for raising the ball to a point Where he may remove it without stooping over. Where the golf ball is removed from a body of water the golf club is lowered so that the cradle on the shoe will receive it and then. the golf club is lifted vertically for retrieving the ball in the manner already described. The placing of the socket, shaft and handle rearwardly of the blade gives the golfer a full view of the blade and ball at address. The elevated blade cannot dig into the playing surface when the club is used because the non-scuff shoe will strike the surface first and prevent this. This is why I term my golf club putter as having a non-scuff shoe.

I claim:

In a golf club putter: a fiat ball-striking blade having a rear face and a bottom edge; a non-scuff shoe arcnate in shape and having its ends permanently attached to the rear face of the blade for providing an opening between the greater portion of the shoe length and the rear face of the blade; the ends of the arcuate-shape shoe being curved upwardly to position the bottom edge of the blade a predetermined distance above the bottom of the arcuate shoe; said shoe having an integral upstanding golf club shaft-receiving socket that is connected to the shoe at a point that spaces the socket rearwardly of the rear face of they blade; said arcuate-shaped shoe having a portion of its upper surface inclined. downwardly at an angle for contacting with a portion of a golf ball spherical surface that is disposed to one side of the golf ball center when another portion of the golf ball surface that is disposed on the other side of the golf ball center contacts with the rear, face of the blade; Whereby a golf ball can be liftedv by the; golf club When the.

ball is received and supported. by the inclined portion of the arcuate shoe, the ball contacting with the rear face of the blade.

2. A golf club putter comprising: a flat ball-strikingblade having a rear face, a golf ball striking face and a bottom edge; a non-scuff shoe arcuate in shape and having its ends permanently attached to the rear face of the blade for providing an opening between the greater portion of the shoe. length and the rear face of the blade for permitting any foreign matter to pass therethrough that might have been set in motion by'the moving shoe; the ends of the arcuate-shaped shoe being curved upwardly to position the bottom edge of the blade a predetermined distance above the bottom of the arcuate shoe so that the blade will be spaced above the surface which supports a golf ball; said shoe having an integral upstanding golf club shaft-receiving socket that isiconnected to the shoe at a point that spaces the socket rearwardly of the rear face of the blade; and a golf club handle and shaft; said shaft being received in the socket; the axis of the socket coinciding with the axis of the shaft and handle; whereby the shaft and handle will be positioned to the rear of. the rear face of the ball-striking blade and the golfer while grasping the handle will have a clear view of the ball and striking face of the blade.

References Cited. in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

